In U.S. Pat. No. 3,525,374 there is disclosed a pizza meat dispenser which includes a hopper for receiving pizza meat, and a motor operated lead screw connected to a plunger in the hopper for forcing the pizza meat through dispensing means positioned below the hopper. The dispensing means shown in the patent includes a mold plate, a shear plate and a reciprocatable knife plate therebetween, all having holes which are in alignment when the knife plate is in one of its positions. A second motor reciprocates the knife plate. The motor for the lead screw and the motor for the knife plate are driven in timed relation to enable pizza meat to be extruded from the hopper by the plunger, and to be severed by the knife plate as it is extruded into the dispensing means. While the dispenser of U.S. Pat. No. 3,525,374 satisfactorily functions to dispense pizza meat in an automated pizza making operation, its use of a relatively large meat containing hopper which has to be re-filled at regular intervals, and a motor operated lead screw and plunger to extrude the meat through the dispensing means, coupled with the use of a motor driven eccentric and roller arrangement for reciprocating the knife plate, detracts from its desirability for use in a high-speed, mass production operation.